Pep Talk
by Element's Sole Protector
Summary: Chris is feeling increasingly useless. Kit won't have any of that. And of course, Len is being Len.
1. Business as Usual

Hi everyone!

(beat)

Crap, do I _still_ have to do the ordinary disclaimer? Even after being polite and exuberant? …Guess so.

In this fic, I made it so that during battle the Riders are referred to by their Rider identities. Don't ask me why, it seemed like a good idea at the time. I ended up enjoying it, and hope you do too.

I don't own Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight. If I did, why would it ever be over? This would be its third season, if I'm counting correctly, and there'd be plenty of moments with Kit and Len and even Chris and Kase and Drew and yaaaay. But moving on.

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><p>Pep Talk<p>

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><p>"Hey, Kit!"<p>

The young man in question swiveled; Chris Ramirez was hailing him from across the street. Hearing no signs of danger, he let himself grin and wait for the would-be Marine to catch up.

"Hey, what's up?"

Chris looked less cheerful and more troubled the closer he got. If not his asthma or the alarming increase in Xaviax's enemy ranks lately, something else was giving him pause.

"I need to talk to you about… something. Can we talk somewhere?"

"Yeah, sure," Kit replied, looking at him oddly. If it wasn't about being a Kamen Rider, then what…?

The ringing screech started in their ears then, as if on cue.

_That noise again… But now? Why is it always right when someone wants to tell me something?_

Chris and Kit gave each other long-suffering looks—and then smiled.

"Never a dull moment," Dragon Knight quipped.

"Not a one."

They simultaneously brought out their Advent Decks, turned to the glass building behind them, and got ready for work.

"Kamen Rider!"

* * *

><p><em>I guess Xaviax is really pissed about something today.<em>

It had been ten minutes, and the flow of monsters hadn't let up for an instant. Sure, they were mostly weak and easy to take down, but even an army of weaklings could take its toll on the best.

And (though he hardly wanted to pour salt in an old wound) Kit knew that Chris was not currently in that category, if ever he had been.

Time dragged like an ailing old man, and eventually saw Dragon Knight and Sting standing back to back. The latter had gone from breathing heavily to something actually bordering on dangerous wheezing.

"Chris, step out of the line of fire." The red Kamen Rider slashed away at the nearest monsters with his sword—being mutant zebras, they merely snorted and charged right back in. "You're getting too tired. I'll handle the rest—"

"_No_," Sting said vehemently, though he paid for his passionate outburst with a pained gasp straight after. "I'm fine. I've got this. If we retreat now the enemy will overrun us! We can't let that happen."

"Chris—"

"No, Kit! I won't stand down—we have to hold them until Wing Knight gets here!"

_Len…_ Kit thought, starting inwardly when he could find no sign of the man who'd trained him. Before now he hadn't even noticed the man's prolonged absence, so focused was he on surviving Xaviax's onslaught. Now, though, he felt it keenly. _Where are you? We're tired and outnumbered, and Chris is in jeopardy. What's taking you so long?_

Several more groups of monsters fell to their combined assault, but even more appeared to take their places. Perhaps backing into that Ventaran alleyway full of broken glass hadn't been their best idea after all…

_Oh, man. If we get out of this alive and Xaviax is anywhere around, I'm going straight for him. He's been sending these drones out like they're going out of style…_

Sting cracked his whip fiercely toward the monsters at Dragon Knight's back. As a whole line of mutant piranhas (or whatever those were) were vaporized, the latter heard him say, "I can't… I _won't_ be a burden… not today… not anymore…"

_What?_ Distracted for a moment, Dragon Knight whirled to face his comrade. "Whoa, Chris—you're not a burden—"

The distraction was enough. An indistinct shape came charging out of a mirror and with its momentum slammed straight into the red Kamen Rider, who went flying into a pack of hyenas (or at least, that was what they _looked_ like). The shape, a pretty messed up-looking giraffe, stomped the pavement in celebration of its success.

"Kit!" Sting cried, but was taken by a fit of coughing. He tried to ignore it, to help his friend, but his path was now blocked by a formidable-looking animal of the savannah, and he had to fight it or risk his own life.

In the meantime, Dragon Knight was exhausted—and in danger that was for once not caused by another Rider. The leader of the hyena pack that had swarmed him watched as he was smacked around, cackling gleefully. As Kit was thrown at the leader's feet, the monster raised one oversized claw for the killing blow.

"_Kit!_"

But he couldn't move; the others had him pinned down, butterfly to wall.

The claw seemed to come down in slow motion, giving Kit enough time to register the sound of something else entering the fray via mirror, and another sound that made him wonder who had just successfully inserted a card.

"_Final Vent."_

Time returned to normal, and a battle cry rent the air. The familiarity of it made Dragon Knight start inwardly.

_That's not Chris! That's—_

Everything around him erupted in white as the dark shouting shape collided with Kit's would-be venter. The explosion made his ears ring painfully and his eyes go into a squint; but when he _did_ open them fully again the head hyena was gone, the others were thrown a ways back, while up in the sky a bat vanished into the sun.

_Len!_

Sure enough, the man he knew in battle as Kamen Rider Wing Knight was striding purposefully toward him, but in a way that suggested he'd run some ways to get there in time. Still, Kit couldn't muster up the energy to greet him; he laid somewhat dazedly on the ground instead, shaking. That had almost been the end of him. He had almost been Vented…

"Kit! Come on, get up!"

He let Wing Knight pull him up, but it was as though he was on autopilot. The shock hadn't quite worn off—the fact that Xaviax had nearly managed to do with monsters what he hadn't managed with Incisor, Torque, Camo and Thrust—defeat him—was rattling.

"Are you all right?" Len was shaking him gently. He was sure that, behind the armor, the older man's face was concerned.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm—" He remembered, like being splashed with cold water very suddenly. "Wait—wait, I've got to help Chris!"

"Chris is with you too?"

"Yeah, we were back to back before they separated us! We have to find him, get through all those monsters—"

The words sent Len right back into Wing Knight mode—just like that he was singularly focused again. He pushed Dragon Knight back, away from the swarm surrounding Sting. "No, _I_ have to. Stay back."

The red Kamen Rider blanched under his armor. Now he knew how Chris had felt earlier. "What? No! Chris needs both of us—two people will just be overwhelmed by the monsters again!"

"You're in no condition to charge back into the fight right now," Wing Knight said. "And Chris probably isn't faring any better. Stay here and rest. If we need you, I'll signal. Otherwise—I'll handle this."

With that said, the black Kamen Rider charged into the fray, using Sword Vent as he went. Dragon Knight was forced to stumble back and watch.

As always, Len put up a good fight. Instinctively Kit knew that the older man wasn't just doing well because he'd come into the fight later, nor were the monsters actually that weak. Wing Knight just _breathed_ battle instincts and fighting experience, in a way that even a Marine like Chris never had.

_Jeez, what do they eat on Ventara?_

Pretty soon Kamen Rider Sting was visible again, his fuchsia armor gleaming as he twirled his whip—still wheezing, too. Wing Knight had pulled him up at some point, and now together they were beating back the mirror monsters, not just holding their ground anymore. Dragon Knight really wanted to help them, but the deep ache in his abdomen kept him grounded still.

Eventually Len saw an opening and took it. He cracked the mirrors nearest himself and Chris until they were beyond repair—and definitely beyond the ability to be traveled through by packs of monsters.

_Why didn't I think of that? –Oh, right, because I'm not Len._

Still, he could do _something_. Ignoring his pain, he picked up where his friend had left off, using his own Sword Vent to close mirror after mirror, until there were no more left for reinforcements to come through. He thought he saw an odd stirring beyond the last one he destroyed, but it went away as soon as he really took notice of it. Disregarding it for the moment, he ran to help Wing Knight and Sting, drawing the same card they did. It was time to finish the ones left.

"_Final Vent."_

The last of Xaviax's monsters went quickly with their combined force; once they were, it was Sting who de-transformed first and slumped to the ground. The others slowly followed suit.

"That… was terrible," Chris said in between coughs.

"Yeah." Kit went to him, managed to pull him to his feet. They could talk later; for now, there didn't seem to be anything else to say. "Yeah, it was."

Len was with them in an instant, placing one arm around Chris's shoulder and waiting until Kit did the same on Chris's other side. He gave them both a determined look. "Come on. The sooner we get out of here the better."

As he took the lead Chris lifted his head, gasped out, "Thanks Len."

Len only inclined his head and kept going.

* * *

><p>Part One complete! Part Two will be up later today, with any luck.<p>

The reason I wrote this comes later. But as for battle scenes, how'd I do?


	2. To Fight Another Day

Hi again!

Disclaimer still stands, my loves.

We get to the actual comforting part now. If you want action, I hand you my attempt with the 'Previous Chapter' button. If not… yay bonding, eh?

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><p>Pep Talk<p>

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><p>Kit woke to almost total darkness.<p>

Groaning, he reached out blindly, searching for light. But his noise had alerted someone, apparently, because a moment later a soft light came on.

"Kit? …You're awake."

He rubbed his eyes, and Len came into focus. The older man was standing by the window, which had had its blinds closed at one point. He looked tired but content, relieved to see Kit up.

"What happened? How long have I… been out?"

"About four hours," Len said. "Chris passed out the minute we got him over the doorway. We'd barely gotten him down before you passed out in my arms. You've both been recovering ever since."

Kit stretched and got up, but a wave of dizziness passed through him and he staggered. "_Whoa_."

"Take it easy."

"But I'm _starving_," Kit protested, and Len laughed despite himself.

"That's okay. I'll make something. Just—stay there, all right? I thought I would lose you both to Xaviax today…"

He trailed off. There was an uncomfortable silence as they listened to Chris snoring from the armchair.

Then Kit said, "Len. I never thanked you for saving us out there… but you knew I meant it, right? If you hadn't come, we wouldn't be here."

"I knew."

The younger man sat back down heavily on the couch. "What happened to you? Before?"

"Kamen Rider Strike held me up. We were fighting when he let slip that you were probably 'gone to the Void by now', and roughly where you'd been. I… took care of him, and left as soon as I could. I couldn't believe that… well. I'm glad he was just taunting me."

_Took care of…?_ "Is he…"

Len shook his head. "He hasn't been Vented." _Despite my best efforts_ went unspoken.

_Oh._

"Chris did well today, from what I saw."

Kit nodded slowly—any faster and he'd get dizzy again. "Yeah. We had it under control for the most part, until Xaviax decided to take that control from us…"

"It's good that he's gotten past his uncertainty. It took a lot out of his battle skills before, but today he was a pro. Him and you."

Kit didn't even have the energy to blush at the veiled praise. But at the same time, he thought of the heated battle, the fight to stay on his toes, and how he had heard Chris's self-doubt loud and clear there—the same uncertainty Len had missed hearing. "…Yeah. I guess."

There was another silence, one with more and less tension than the one before.

"Len, thank you," Kit said sincerely at last. "Thank you for saving our lives."

For a long time the older man didn't speak. He just moved to raid Kit's fridge, and held the door open for a long time. Then he closed it, now with his sunglasses on, and without having gotten anything out. "…Keep resting, Kit. I'll take care of any monsters."

Kit nodded and leaned back. Neither of them noticed that Chris had long since stopped snoring.

* * *

><p>"Back on duty already?"<p>

Chris jumped like he'd been shot. Kit Taylor was behind him, grinning and holding two drinks. "Kit… you almost got attacked!"

"Sorry. Figured I'd see you around Gramercy Heights, so when I did… anyway, it's good to see you again."

Chris just shrugged. "Had to get back to work sometime." And a week was a long enough vacation.

"But you forgot to bring your teammates, man," Kit mock-scolded. He deepened his voice to an approximation of Len's and growled, "'_Together we're stronger, remember?'_ If Len finds out you were trying to fly solo again, he'll make _both of us_ regret it with another of his 'training sessions'."

Chris took the other drink, but didn't even crack a smile at Kit's impersonation. At first the latter was insulted (_Come on, I sounded just like him!_), but he quickly became more worried by the ex-Marine's enduring silence.

"Chris. Before we got attacked… what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

He flinched. "Huh? Oh—nothing. Nothing important… listen, though, can we talk about Len?"

_About Len?_ The question threw Kit for a loop. Had Len perhaps said something important to Chris? "Uh… sure."

Chris led Kit almost absent-mindedly over to a tree in the middle of the park. He leaned against the tree, but Kit sat in the grass and watched the people ride by on the road. _Which of them is Kamen Rider Strike?_ he wondered. _Which are Spear and Axe?_

"How long have you known Len?"

Kit jolted out of his moodier reflections. "Well… not all that long. Maybe a month or two. We met on my birthday… all I really know about him is that he's from Ventara, and that Xaviax has been after him for a while."

But Chris didn't seem to have heard anything past the first part. "Only that long?"

Kit looked at him oddly. What in the world did _that_ mean?

"The way you and Len fight, Kit… I'd thought you'd been together for years." Chris ran a hand through his dark hair, still looking troubled. "I thought, you know, maybe _I'm_ coming into this late. Maybe Xaviax has been turning Kamen Riders against one another for ages, and the two of you have been fighting them all that time. But to hear you say otherwise… it's just amazing, I guess."

"How come?"

Chris fiddled with something in his pocket; it crackled loudly, but Kit was almost afraid to ask what it was. "The two of you have been giving Xaviax a hard time since before I even knew about this. When I think about how _I_ found out about Xaviax's lies, how long it took… and how even now all I do is screw things up—"

"Chris—that isn't true."

"Can you prove it?"

"_Yes_! You've never screwed anything up, at all. Not once. Certainly not last week…"

It was the closest they'd come yet to mentioning what Kit had heard Chris say. Kit had been wanting to confront their new friend's doubts for a while, but between fighting off Xaviax's monsters and being constantly kept on their toes by the appearance of new Riders, the 'talk' had slipped through the cracks over and over again.

In that way Kit envied Len as much as he looked up to him. Len could use training sessions and battles and small conversations over pizza to bond with Chris and at the same time build up his self-esteem. But if Kit tried to do the same, he usually ended up putting his foot in his mouth or otherwise not getting the point across.

_Not this time._

Even though he felt like he hardly understood the ex-Marine at the best of times, Kit was not going to screw anything up today. He'd get to the bottom of the problem by any means necessary.

In the meantime, Chris had refocused on their missing partner. "Well, still… how do you two do it?" He blinked at Kit's questioning glance and raised eyebrows before blushing. "Fight so well against Xaviax's minions, I mean. How do you understand one another and act accordingly, no matter what…?"

_Now I understand_, Kit thought, examining his friend more closely. Chris felt _useless_, underprepared even. That was something he was familiar with feeling.

To correct his friend's mistaken impression he said, "It wasn't always so easy. We had times when we didn't communicate, didn't trust each other—especially at first. Heck, at one point I thought he was _with_ Xaviax…"

Chris's eyes were wide. "_You_ thought _Len_ was with Xaviax?"

"Stupid, I know," Kit admitted; he still felt ashamed of being taken in so easily. "It was before you became a Kamen Rider—I let another of Xaviax's Riders convince me that _he_ was the only good guy, and _Len_ was the traitor. By the time I knew better, Len had already gotten hurt in the process of saving my life… I still feel bad about that." He only just let Chris nod; it was good to talk to someone else about this, someone other than Maya. "But I knew I couldn't mope about what had _almost_ happened. I wanted to help Len. And I knew—if I wanted to help, all I could do was fight the best I could, and make sure I lived to fight another day."

He looked at Chris. The ex-Marine seemed like he knew where Kit was going, but didn't want to follow him there. "I want to believe you Kit, I really do. I want to make a difference, to serve my country. I always have. You and Len know that better than anyone else, even… Anyway. No matter how much I want to help, I cannot fight knowing that I'm a burden."

"But you're _not_!" Kit burst out, breaking his promise to listen without speaking for once. "You're our partner, Chris. Len and I need you. Do you think I could have held off all those monsters by myself that day?"

"Don't you think you and Len could have taken care of them more quickly?"

To his credit, the alleged delinquent only gaped like a fish out of water for five seconds before retorting loyally. "Not without you. Not anymore."

Chris smiled.

"I wish you'd been a Marine with me," he said softly. "You clearly understand the term _Semper fidelis_. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your loyalty, Kit… But I can't do this. I can't fight with no lung power—I'll get in the way, I'll be Vented. I'm worthless to you this way."

His hand twitched toward his pocket again—but Kit was standing up, and moving to grip his shoulder.

"Don't leave again."

"I wasn't…"

"I saw it in your eyes. Don't leave, man: you're part of the team." Chris tried to shake his head, but Kit wasn't having it. Not anymore. "What are you going to do, huh? Stay home? Break all your reflective surfaces? Cover your ears every time monsters attack? You can't ignore the calls, Chris, and you're not a coward.

"No one's asking you to be reckless—that's _my_ job." He let himself laugh. "We just want you to stand with us. Be Kamen Rider Sting. I know you can; I've seen it. Who was it that almost made me wet myself when he tried to arrest me for being an alien?" He punched Chris's shoulder, and the ex-Marine laughed despite himself. "Yeah, man, that was _you_. And it's proof that you belong out there with us. So don't give up, Chris. Fight with us out there… and forget what Strike says, because none of it matters! At the end of the day, all that _does_ matter is that we survive to fight again—and eat more pizza."

Some more cyclists rode by, and Kit flinched, thinking of Xaviax's Riders—but Chris didn't seem able to do anything but smile now.

"For a while you sounded like Len there."

The younger man grinned. "He rubbed off on me. If you stick around, he'll rub off on you too."

There was a quiet but comfortable moment, where both were lost in their thoughts—and then they winced as the familiar ringing screech sounded through the air around them. At the same time, a black motorcycle flew by on the road, one that to Kit was just as familiar.

_Time to go again_.

He turned to Chris. "Duty calls, soldier. You coming?"

Chris closed his eyes, still thinking. Eventually he opened them. "Yeah… I'm coming. To fight another day, right?"

"Always," Kit said. "And we can't have Len getting all the glory. Let's show him what Earth Riders are really made of."

And they ran for their motorcycles, and Ventara.


End file.
